Crispy grilled kale

Paul and I have been loving our kale. It’s an easy thing to pick up at the farmer’s market, and there is so much of it out there. I could go on about the health benefits but really, we like it mostly ‘cuz it’s downright yummy. In the summer, I most often give kale this treatment: cut the ribs out, slice the ribs thinly, work olive oil and lemon juice into the greens… and that’s it. I do add some salt and pepper and when I feel like jazzing it up; grated Romano cheese, a few red pepper flakes, maybe a handful of toasted walnuts. I could have gone on eating summertime kale just like that, never changing a thing, ever. Until Lucy started complaining. She’s the best vegetable eater in this house, and is also most vocal about what she wants. So she started pestering me for kale the way she likes it: roasted ’til crisp in the oven. This is done by spreading the chopped kale on a baking sheet and roasting at 500°.

And as I explained to Lucy, nothing, not even her constant pestering would make me break down and turn my oven on in this heat wave. But then someone had the brilliant idea of putting that kale right on the hot coals of the grill, and cooking them until they are smoky and crispy and oh-so-yummy.

One note about this method versus the raw kale salad. I love the raw salad, think it’s even better, the next day. The grilled kale one day later? Eh. I ate it for lunch, unenthusiastically.

The recipe is here and I made it just like that, wouldn’t change a thing.